Contest Chronicles: Kanto
by MichaelAndHisMuse
Summary: Adrian is a young coordinator trying to escape his family's shadows. His father disapproves of his path, wanting him to eventually take over the gym. After a fight, a bet is made. Adrian will take the gym challenge as well. If he can beat his father in their final battle he can continue his path as a coordinator. Failure, means joining his father's gym and giving up his dreams.
1. Prologue: A Dark Night

** Prologue: A Dark Night**

Nighttime bathed the town of Pallet in a veil of darkness. The full moon hung low in the sky, as diamond like stars danced around in glittering brilliance. A gentle breeze caressed the hillsides where a lone figure stood silently in the dark. It was a man, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak. His intense eyes looking down at the sleepy town, focusing on a small home. The house itself was no different than any of the other cookie cutter houses that made up the neighborhood. However, it held memories, some good and some not so good. This caused his hidden expression to twist into a small frown. He quickly shrugged it away, not wanting to dwell on the past.

Pallet Town was the first stepping stone for many would be trainers. It was a relatively small town compared to the other cities in Kanto. However, it gave birth to some of the worlds most influential people. Ash Ketchum, who recently decided to take on the Elite Four, once called Pallet Town home. His journey's start was unorthodox to say the least, but with determination, hard work, and a bit of luck, the once immature child was now on his way to being a house hold name. Gary Oak, one of the leading researchers in the field of Ancient Pokemon has made ground breaking discoveries and is the grandson of the local professor, Samuel Oak. Professor Oak's knowledge of all things pokemon is unrivaled and to this day respected world wide. With a fresh batch of eager trainers awaiting their first pokemon, the future looks as bright as ever.

"Its hard to believe that it has been an entire year." whispered the man. Behind him, a large dragon slept peacefully. Its large blue body heaving up and down with heavy breaths. It seemed to hear him, but only responded with a sleepy growl. He chuckled, shaking his head. A harsh gust of wind rushed up to meet the lone man, and he hugged himself, as his body began to shiver. He turned away from the wind and walked over to his sleeping partner, patting the beast on the head softly. "Time to go buddy, there are just too many memories here."

Salamance groggily rose to its feet and shook off the sleep that still remained. The man mounted his pokemon and gave it a moment to adjust to his added weight. Rust colored wings beat silently in response to its master's order , lifting the pokemon and its master into the sky. It circled the town a few times, gaining speed and altitude, then flew off towards the direction of the Orange Islands just as the first rays of sun painted the sky with brilliant pinks and oranges. A new day had begun.

**Author's Notes: Hello, this is my reattempt at a story I have had in my head for ages. I do hope you like. I don't have a beta reader, so feel free to offer constructive criticism, especially if its my weak points like grammar. Or, recommend me to a beta/vise versa. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the story as much I do writing it. **


	2. Chapter 1 Beginnings

**Chapter 1 **

**Beginnings **

Every year three new trainers are given privilege Professor Oak's Academy of Incredibly Gifted Trainer's. There students learn all about pokemon, being responsible trainers, given a their starter pokemon, and have their education tailored to the field they wish to peruse. Upon graduation they are allowed to go off on their journey. This is not necessary because there are many paths to pokemon training, but it is a very sought after pathway. It is said that any trainer who graduates from the school is more equipped and ready for the challenges that are thrown their way as trainers.

Waiting was hard, not to mention boring. This was especially true for impatient teenagers, even more so when these particular teens are waiting to officially start their pokemon journey. This year's graduates were eagerly awaiting for Professor Oak to return to the waiting room. Graduation was over, all the formalities and ceremonies were over. Now all they had left to do was get a few things from the Professor and be on their way.

Even a man of Professor Oak's status has his moments of absentmindedness. It was no surprise that with his age that a few things slipped his mind, more often nowadays. Kids however can be cruel and unforgiving, especially when it comes to their future as pokemon trainers. So while the professor scrambled in his back room to get things in order, three very different teenagers waited, albeit impatiently, for their very first pokemon.

"Where the heck is the old coot?" whined a small boy with dark brown hair that hid his equally dark colored eyes.

The boy huffed and fidgeted in his seat, trying various positions, not one working to help keep him still. He finally gave up, crossed his arms, and sank down into the uncomfortable chair.

Across from him sat a young girl with Barbie doll like hair. The blonde strands hung freely around her shoulders, her grassy eyes teaming with excitement. Her legs we tucked lightly under the chair, ankles crossed, just as she was taught in etiquette school. "Don't worry Jack, I'm sure it wont be long."

"Easy for you to say Ariel, you are always calm. I swear its like nothing ever phases you." Jack said, looking over the rims of his glasses through the small openings in his bangs.

"Its called maturity, maybe you should get some." a redhead interrupted. He was leaning on a windowsill looking very bored, gently twirling the cord around his finger.

"HEY! I am mature!" he yelled sticking out his tongue. He mentally cussed himself for sticking out his tongue, and was happy the guy didn't see him, he would have only proved his point. "I swear Adrian, you are so uptight."

Adrian's sapphire eyes were hazed with boredom as he shrugged off Jake's comment and continued to stare out at the fields surrounding the lab. He wouldn't admit it, but we was just as excited as the Jack, only he was more skilled at hiding it.

These three had been best friends since they were in diapers. Adrian got along best with Ariel, and even though he bickered with Jack a lot, the two were like brothers. So fighting was never really serious and it never lasted more than a couple of minutes. They had all managed to score top marks in class, which resulted in them being the ones chosen to be the next wave of trainers from the quiet town of Pallet. Ariel and Adrian were the top of their class, so it wasn't a surprise when they tied for best scores on their final exams.

Jack on the other hand, was a work in progress. It was a miracle unto itself that he scored second in his class, considering the fact that he guessed on almost every single question. Not to mention he was thirty minutes late to the exam, luckily the administrators were in a merciful mood. Ariel and Adrian were shocked, to say the least, but none the less excited that their friend had made the cut. Now they were all here, waiting…god it was hard waiting.

Professor Oak scurried about the room collecting all the necessities, mentally giving himself a thrashing. "You need to keep together Oak, you don't want to end up in a home." he mumbled to himself. "That grandson of mine has been eyeing my office lately. If I'm not careful Ill be one more fossil for him to put in an stuffy room with no light."

After everything was settled and in its place he stopped to take a few quick breaths. Smoothing out his hair and putting on his most professional smile, he walked out into the battlefield knowing he might not be coming back alive. He opened the door and stepped out into the lobby to greet the three trainers.

"Good morning young ones, I'm sure you are all very eager to get your pokemon and start your journey."

"About time gramps, we have been waiting all morning. Getting slow in your old age aren't ya." Jack blurted as he jumped form his seat.

"JAKE! Don't be rude!" chirped Ariel. "Please excuse my friend, he was dropped on his head as a kid…a lot."

Jake's face turned a dark shade of red and he dropped his head to hide behind his bangs. Ariel patted him on the shoulder and gave him a teasing look as she took her spot beside him. Adrian turned around on his heels and leaned back on the windowsill, propping on his elbows. "Nice to see you professor, please, no long speeches." Adrian deadpanned.

The professor chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. This could have gone better, but it could have gone worse too. "Well as you know, collecting and training pokemon is a big responsibility. And, after the great "Rhyhorn Incident," he have taken the aspect of being trainers much more seriously. Which is why we raised the beginning ages from ten to sixteen and made the exams all that much tougher. So now we aren't just letting anyone in."

"Yeah, there is just a small flaw in your system." Adrian chuckled as he walked over to Jake only to receive a sharp elbow jab from the other male. He shoved at his friend playfully and apologized for interrupting the professor.

"Now I have registered you each a brand new Pokedex and I will be supplying you with five extra pokeballs. Of course, you all know that you can only carry six pokemon at a time. Any pokemon caught after your sixth is sent here where I will take care of it until you request otherwise."

The professor gingerly picked up each Pokedex and handed it to the trainers. Each one had their names engraved into it. All three of them looked dumbfounded at the technology in their hands. It was a beautiful work of technology, it was almost artistic in a way. Professor Oak had really gone all out for his prized pupils. "I do hope you like them."

"Professor, thank you so very much. Its gorgeous and I can't wait to use it," Ariel spoke up first.

Adrian spoke up next, "It means a lot, Professor, that you would trust us with such equipment. Thank you."

The room got quiet as everyone waited for Jackson to chip in his thank you. They waited…three seconds…four seconds…five seconds… Jackson was too busy scrolling through his Pokedex to even notice anyone else. He received a swift smack to the back of his head from Adrian.

"OW! What the heck was that for?"

"Isn't there something you would like to say to the professor," Adrian questioned through gritted teeth.

Jackson blushed a deep scarlet, "Oh right, sorry, thank you so much. This will come in handy on our journey."

Professor Oak chuckled to himself and waved off the apology. He was once an eager kid too, but that was ancient history. "Please, I beg of you. Don't lose them. They are expensive and I can't replace them every time you drop one off a cliff or into a lake."

"Right," all three agreed.

The professor could tell he was losing them the longer he talked so he stopped and ushered them out. "Enjoy your journey and please call me every now and then. I love to keep up with all the fledgling trainers. I expect great things from all of you."

Each of them said their goodbyes to Professor Oak and Tracey. They all breathed a heavy sigh once outside and into the open air. Jackson pulled furious at his tie and yanked it down. "FINALLY, free! I can now begin my quest to be the strongest trainer there ever was!"

"Yeah right, you may have managed to luck your way through the academy, but this is the real world. You are going to get chewed up and spit back out," teased Adrian.

"Oh yeah, well lets battle here and now!"

"Right, what makes you think it will be different than the last thirty times I beat you?"

Jackson's face was a vibrant red and he stamped his feet on the ground. Both boys reached for their pokeballs and jumped back. Ariel rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. "Are you boys really going to do this now?"

"You bet, Adrian has insulted my honor. Now he must pay."

"Oh please, as if you stand a chance against me and Squirtle."

"You'll see! Charmander, come on out," he pointed his pokeball forward and in a flash of light a small orange lizard appeared on the field. The bipedal lizard stretched as it took in the warmth of the sunlight. The tip of its tail was aflame and only intensified in the bright light.

Adrian tossed up his pokeball an a blue turtle popped out of its shell. "You know the drill."

Squirtle shot out a fury of bubbles towards Charmander. The lizard scrambled about the ground trying its best to dodge the attack. "Good job Charmander! Now try an ember attack," cried Jackson.

Charmander took in a heavy breath and let loose small bursts of flames. Only to have Squirtle counterattack with bubble causing the attacks to collide. The reaction resulted in a thin mist to settle over the area. Adrian smirked, now was his chance. "Alright, use bubble and follow up with tackle!"

Charmander dodged a few of the bubbles but due to the lack of its vision was struck by a handful of them. It winced as the attack pushed it back. It had very little time to react as Squirtle had come up behind the bubbles and slammed its entire body into fire pokemon. However, a swift order from Jackson had Charmander slashing its claws across the turtles face. It let out a small cry before retreating into its shell.

"What? Can't Squirtle take one little scratch attack?"

Adrian remaining clam smirked, hoping to throw off Jackson's sudden surge in confidence. Besides, he had a new attack he wanted to try out. He had to wait for the right time. "Come on Charmander try to coax it out of its shell! Ember!"

The turtles shell was slowly becoming blackened by the flames. Adrian waited, ordering his pokemon to stay inside its shell. Then, just Charmander was in the right position he saw the opportunity to attack. "Now, water gun!" With great speed the Squirtle popped out of its shell and shot a stream of powerful water into the pokemon knocking it back into a tree.

"No, Charmander!"

It was too late. The lizard fell over and couldn't get back up. Squirtle looked pleased with itself as its trainer patted it on the head. "Very good, as usual buddy. You too Charmander."

The water pokemon had already rushed over to its friend and helped it up off the ground. Adrian smiled down at the two pokemon and looked over at his friend. "You were just lucky," he heard Jackson grumble.

Adrian rolled his eyes and returned his pokemon to its pokeball. "Yes, that's what it was, luck, just like the last thirty times."

"You know what, I have the nerve to clock you right in the face!"

"Do it! Then I can whoop your ass too!"

Both boys had moved towards each other with balled up fists. Suddenly in a flash of blonde Ariel had stepped between them. She placed a hand on each boy's chest and pushed them back. "Listen, you two need to get over yourselves. Besides, lets not forget who holds the current record for winning pokemon battles."

Both boys were defused quickly and laughed as Ariel stuck her tongue out at them. She was truly a strong trainer. Anyone who let her delicate frame and soft features fool them were indeed in for a surprise. "Not to mention, you are the only one of us who has an evolved pokemon," Jackson chipped in.

It was true that Ariel's Bulbasaur had recently evolved into an Ivysaur. It had been during a particularly hard battle with Adrian who almost managed to defeat her. Just as the last attack was about to hit her Bulbasaur began to glow and it was suddenly much bigger and stronger. Adrian had not beat her in battle since. Even with his advantage Jackson had yet to beat her other than one time on their first day.

"Look, I want to be out of this town by noon. So both of you go home, say your goodbyes and lets blow this popsicle stand."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Did you really just say blow this popsicle stand?"

Ariel giggled before skipping away home. "Sure did, losers. Remember, noon!"

Jackson and Adrian nodded to each other before walking off towards their houses. Adrian was not excited about going home. Luckily, his dad was probably gone and back in Viridian City. However, his mom was still home. No doubt Caroline Hatter was sitting at home eagerly awaiting her sons return. It was bound to be an emotional goodbye.


End file.
